1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a laser induced thermal imaging method and a fabricating method of an organic light-emitting diode using the same, and more specifically to a laser induced thermal imaging method capable of laminating a donor film and an acceptor substrate using a magnetic force when the organic film layer is laminated on the acceptor substrate using the laser induced thermal imaging method; and a fabricating method of an organic light-emitting diode using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Aspects of the present invention relate to a laser induced thermal imaging device and a laser induced thermal imaging method, and a fabricating method of an organic light-emitting diode using the same, and more specifically to a laser induced thermal imaging device and a laser induced thermal imaging method capable of improving an adhesive property between an acceptor substrate and an imaging layer of a donor film using a magnetic force by including a first magnet in the acceptor substrate and a second magnet in the donor film when an organic film layer is laminated on the acceptor substrate using the laser induced thermal imaging method; and a fabricating method of an organic light-emitting diode using the same.
Among methods of forming an organic film layer of an organic light-emitting diode, a deposition method, in which an organic film layer is formed by vacuum-depositing an organic light-emitting material with a shadow mask, has disadvantages that it is difficult to form a superfine micropattern due to a deformed mask, etc. and it is also difficult to be applied to a large-area display.
In order to solve the problems of the deposition method, there has been proposed an ink jet method for directly patterning an organic film layer. The ink jet process is a method for forming an organic film layer by discharging a discharge solution from a head of an ink jet printer, the discharge solution obtained by dissolving or dispersing a light-emitting material in a solvent. The ink jet process is relatively simple in processing, but has disadvantages that it has a reduced yield, a non-uniform film thickness, and it is difficult to be applied to a large-area display.
Meanwhile, there has been proposed a method of forming an organic film layer using a laser induced thermal imaging technique. The laser induced thermal imaging method is a method in which an imaging layer is closely adhered to an acceptor substrate and then transferred by scanning a laser to a donor film which includes a base substrate, a light-heat converting layer and the imaging layer, converting the laser passed through the base substrate into heat in the light-heat converting layer to extend the light-heat converting layer, and extend the adjacent imaging layers. The laser induced thermal imaging method is a process having inherent advantages such as high-resolution pattern formation, uniformity of film thickness, an ability to laminate a multilayer, and extendability into a large-sized motherglass.
When the conventional laser induced thermal imaging method is carried out, the method is preferably carried out under a vacuum state so that the inside of a chamber in which the light-emitting layer is transferred can be aligned with other deposition processes upon forming a light-emitting device, and therefore the method is generally carried out under a vacuum state, but when the laser thermal transfer is carried out under a vacuum state according to the conventional method, then it has a disadvantage that a transfer property of the imaging layer is deteriorated since a conventionally applied coupling force is reduced between the donor film and the acceptor substrate. Accordingly, a method of laminating a donor film and an acceptor substrate is very important in the case of the laser induced thermal imaging method, and therefore there have been attempts to solve such problems.
Hereinafter, a laser induced thermal imaging method and a thermal transfer imaging device according to the conventional art will be described in detail referring to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a thermal transfer imaging device according to the conventional art.
Referring to FIG. 1, the thermal transfer imaging device 100 includes a substrate stage 120 arranged inside of a chamber 110 and a laser irradiation apparatus 130 arranged on an upper portion of the chamber 110.
On the substrate stage 120 an acceptor substrate 140 introduced into the chamber 110, and a donor film 150 are sequentially arranged, in a first anchoring groove 121 and a second anchoring groove 123 for arranging an acceptor substrate 140 and a donor film 150, respectively, in the substrate stage 120. The first anchoring groove 121 is formed along a peripheral direction of the acceptor substrate 140, and the second anchoring groove 123 is formed along a peripheral direction of the donor film 150. Generally, the acceptor substrate 140 has a smaller area than that of the donor film 150, and therefore the first anchoring groove 121 is formed at a smaller size than that of the second anchoring groove 123.
At this time, in order to carry out the lamination without a foreign substance or a space between the acceptor substrate 140 and the donor film 150, the inside of the chamber 110 in which the laser thermal transfer is generated is at ambient pressure, and pipes 161,163 are each connected to lower portions of the first anchoring groove 121 and the second anchoring groove 123, respectively, and sucked into a vacuum pump P to couple the acceptor substrate 140 and the donor film 150 to each other.
However, while other methods for manufacturing an organic light-emitting diode are maintained under a vacuum state, a method of adhering the acceptor substrate and the donor film by means of the vacuum pump is not used under a vacuum state inside of the chamber, and therefore the method has a disadvantage that the life span and the reliability of the product are adversely affected.